Jets’ Crease Crowded & Complicated After Hellebuyck Trade

With Connor Hellebuyck refusing to report to training camp amidst the thankfully-now-over trade demand saga, the Jets had only Skinner as an NHL-ready goalie until they claimed Clay Stevenson off waivers a few days before their season-opening game.

Both netminders have quickly become fan favourites — partly by simply not being Hellebuyck — and have been mostly solid.

Skinner has a 2.60 goals against average (GAA) and .911 save percentage (SV%) in eight starts while Stevenson has a 3.08 GAA and .893 SV% in three (his numbers are inflated by a rough performance against the Anaheim Ducks where he allowed four goals on 16 shots). The pair of 27 year olds, both born in Alberta, appear to be close friends.

Daws’ arrival as part of Hellebuyck trade return from the New Jersey Devils has created the crowded crease Arniel referenced. The German 25 year old wasn’t the key piece in return, but didn’t really need to be as Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff insulated his club against needing to get an A1 starter by signing Skinner and claiming Stevenson.

“Our goaltending situation has obviously changed I guess 133 per cent, or whatever you want call it, from where it was before,” Cheveldayoff said Friday.

Daws has more NHL experience than Stevenson — 59 appearances and 54 starts, all with the Devils, since being drafted 84th overall in 2020 — but is similar as someone who has scrapped for NHL opportunities and has spent plenty of time in the American Hockey League (AHL). He has posted a 26-26-1 record, 2.94 GAA, .897 SV%, and one shutout in his career.

The easiest thing to do would be to waive Stevenson, considering he’s the least-experienced of the three. The fact the organization doesn’t want to risk losing him on waivers and will instead carry three goalies for now shows the high potential they see in him.

It’s unlikely Arniel wants any of them to sit for too long, though, and he’ll have to come up with a deployment plan with goaltending coach Wade Flaherty.

The Jets are also unlikely to carry all three long term considering doing so decreases the number of skaters they can carry by one.

DiVincentiis & Milic’s Strong Play Adds Another Wrinkle

Adding another wrinkle to all this is that the duo of goaltending prospects with the Manitoba Moose appear to be nearing readiness for the next level.

Domenic DiVincentiis and Thomas Milic, in their third and fourth AHL seasons, respectively, are both off to rock-solid starts.

DiVincentiis, a seventh-round 2022 pick, is 3-2-0 with a sparking 2.02 GAA, .941 SV%, and a pair of shutouts. Milic, a fifth-round 2023 pick, is a perfect 4-0-0 with a 2.48 GAA and .922 SV%.

While at 22 and 23 years old, respectively, they likely could use one more full season each in the minors, every player comes to a point where they need NHL opportunities to continue on an upward development trajectory. If they keep up their currently quality of play all season, they could and should be competing for NHL playing time before too long.

Jets Organization in Decent, But Complicated Spot in the Crease

While they no longer have a clear-cut number-one top-echelon goaltender now that Hellebuyck’s been sent packing, the organization still seems in a decent, if not complicated, spot when it comes to their crease. None of the five are under contract past next season: DiVincentiis and Milic will be restricted free agents this offseason, Stevenson will be an unrestricted free agent, and Skinner and Daws are both on the first year of two-year deals.

Cheveldayoff and company might have to do quite a bit of hard thinking soon about which goalies they want to commit to and which they might flip for assets to help elsewhere in the lineup.